Perfect Roast Chicken or Turkey
You read that correctly: PERFECT. Listen folks, I’ve been silent for the past couple of months on here but that’s because I’ve been dedicating my life’s work to perfecting this recipe and it was worth every minute. I made this recipe last Thanksgiving and there were barely any left overs… I don’t know if I was more sad or ecstatic. If that tells you anything, it’s that you MUST make this roasted poultry this year and every year thereafter.
I spent countless nights researching the best method for roasting turkey. I knew I’d be dry brining my turkey because a wet, soppy cooler full of naked turkey has never appealed to me. I also knew I would be skipping butter because my sister was nursing at the time and her little pup had a dairy aversion so we couldn’t use butter… little did I know that I will ALWAYS use olive oil instead of butter from here on out! The texture and skin roasts into an incredibly crispy, caramelly, gorgeous bird. Next was deciding the best way to roast the turkey come cooking time. I landed on Bon Appetit’s method for segmenting and roasting the turkey on a wire rack instead of keeping the bird whole. It was FANTASTIC; the cooking time is cut to nearly half the time and nothing gets over or under cooked.
So, without further ado, I’ve decided to show you how to roast the perfect turkey OR roasted chicken. I know some of us will be having a much smaller Thanksgiving this year which means you may need to come up with smaller portions and versions of previous Thanksgivings. Don’t fret. And the bonus? You can use my roasting and glazing method any time you want the juiciest, tastiest chicken you’ve ever made.
*BONUS - I made a video to show you the process. Scroll to the bottom of this post to watch!
Prepping your bird
Your butcher will segment your turkey - Just ask them and make sure to tell them to leave the breast whole and remove the back. Tell them you want the back and use it to make your turkey stock!
DO NOT WASH YOUR BIRD - just use paper towels to dry your bird really well. This helps the bird crisp up nicely and keeps your counters and food safe from harmful bacteria that can spread from washing poultry.
Measurements for dry brine are adjustable. Love garlic? Want an extra kick of pepper? Just add a pinch more of this or that if you are so inclined.
If you’d like you can add aromatics to the baking sheet before roasting… I added chopped shallots and fresh herbs.
*A note on salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you use Mortons, cut kosher salt portions to half.
Glazing and Roasting your bird
Make your glaze while your bird is coming up to room temp
the glaze may not seem like a lot but you will be using it sparingly… trust the recipe
use your hands to rub bird with olive oil before roasting to ensure you coat the entire bird evenly
roasting the bird at a higher temperature in the first 20 min and then dropping the temp ensures a beautifully colored and crisped up bird
the glaze consistency should be syrupy, just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon… if it’s too thick it will burn before caramelizing the bird
Dry Brine
12-14 lb turkey, neck and giblets removed
¼ C Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal)
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs fresh cracked pepper
2 tsp Harissa spice or paprika
2 tsp Mild Aleppo pepper (or ¼ tsp Cayenne)
1 tsp paprika
2-3 tsp onion powder
2-3 tsp garlic powder
Olive Oil – set aside
Turkey Glaze
1/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C pomegranate molasses
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
3-4 cloves garlic, bruised
1 tsp each: thyme, sage, oregano (or 1-2 sprigs each fresh)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1-2 strips lemon zest
3 tbs olive oil
Special Equipment: roasting rack, sheet pan, basting brush
Turkey Roasting Method
Prep
Step 1: Ask your butcher to segment your turkey, leaving the whole breast intact and back bone removed. It will be cut into five pieces: breast, legs, and wings. Before you start brining, make sure turkey is thoroughly patted dry with paper towels all over and inside breast cavity.
Step 2: Mix all dry brine ingredients together, leaving the olive oil set aside
Step 3: Place turkey pieces, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle dry brine mix generously all over turkey pieces, rubbing all over skin and patting it on to turkey. (you may be left with extra brine mix)
Step 4: Chill turkey uncovered for 24-48 hours. (you can flip the turkey breast upside down half way through brining if you’d like to)
Glazing/Roasting
Step 5: Remove turkey from rack and rinse the sheet and rack to remove any accumulated liquids from the turkey. Dry the baking sheet and line with foil to make for easier clean up. Place turkey pieces back on to rack skin side up and rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours to decrease cooking time. Rub turkey all over with olive oil, using about 1 tsp at a time, until all pieces are lightly but evenly coated with oil. Optional - Sprinkle some left over brine onto turkey pieces.
Step 6: While turkey is resting, make the glaze. In a small saucepan on medium heat, cook all glaze ingredients until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir regularly. Glaze should be syrupy and ready in about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 7: Preheat oven to 425F with rack in the middle of the oven. Add ½ Cup turkey stock or water to bottom of sheet pan. Roast turkey 20-25 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through until turkey is light golden brown. Reduce temperature to 300F and continue to roast the turkey adding ½ c of liquid to the bottom of the baking sheet as liquid evaporates and basting with the glaze about every 20 minutes. Roast turkey until thickest part of breast registers 150F and thickest part of thighs reads 165F. Total cooking time will be 1-1.5 hours. The skin will be deep golden caramel and shiny.
Step 8: transfer turkey to a cutting board and rest, loosely tented with foil, 30-45 minutes, before carving
Pomegranate Roasted Chicken
Serves 5-7
Dry brine
4-5 lb Chicken
2 tbs kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp Harissa
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Olive Oil – set aside
Chicken Glaze
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs pomegranate molases
2 tbs red wine vinegar
¼ tsp kosher salt or sea salt
1 clove garlic, bruised
¼ tsp each: thyme, sage, oregano
1 bay leaf
6-10 peppercorns
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
¼ tsp lemon zest
2 tsp olive oil
Special equipment: roasting rack, sheet pan, twine, basting brush
Chicken Roasting Method
Prep
Step 1: Before you start brining, make sure the chicken is thoroughly patted dry with paper towels all over and inside breast cavity.
Step 2: Mix all dry brine ingredients together, leaving the olive oil set aside
Step 3: Place chicken, breast side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle dry brine mix generously all over chicken, inside the cavity, rubbing brine all over skin and patting it on so it can adhere to the chicken. (you may be left with extra brine mix)
Step 4: Chill chicken uncovered for 6-24 hours
Glazing/Roasting
Step 5: Remove chicken from rack and rinse the sheet and rack to remove any accumulated liquids from the chicken. Dry the baking sheet and line with foil to make for easier clean up. Place chicken back on to rack breast side up and rest at room temperature for 30-45 min to decrease cooking time and cook evenly. Rub chicken all over with olive oil, 1 tsp at a time, coating chicken evenly. Sprinkle extra brine all over, if needed. Tie the legs with twine and tuck the wings underneath the breast or cap them off with foil.
Step 6: While chicken is resting, make the glaze. In a small saucepan on medium heat, cook all glaze ingredients until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir regularly. Glaze should be syrupy and ready in about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 7: Preheat oven to 425F with rack in the middle of the oven. Add ½ Cup chicken stock or water to bottom of sheet pan. Roast chicken about 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through until chicken is light golden brown. Reduce temperature to 275F and continue to roast the chicken adding ½ c of liquid to the bottom of the baking sheet as liquid evaporates and basting with the glaze about every 20-30 minutes. Roast chicken until thickest part of thighs reads 165F. Total cooking time will be 1.5-2 hours. The skin will be deep golden caramel, crispy and shiny.
Step 8: transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest, loosely tented with foil, 20-30 minutes, before carving. Remove twine and foil on wing tips. Carve and serve.
